Editor's Note: Indigenous Communities and COVID-19
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Volume 4, Issue 1 (October 2015) Volume 9, Issue 3 (2020) http://w w w.hawaii.edu/sswork/jisd https://ucalgary.ca/journals/jisd http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/ E-ISSN 2164-9170 handle/10125/37602 pp. 1-3 E-ISSN 2164-9170 pp. 1-15 Editor’s Note: Indigenous Communities and COVID-19: Impact and Implications R eaching Harmony Across Indigenous and Mainstream Peter Mataira ReHawaiisear cPacifich Co nUniversitytexts: A Collegen Em eofr gHealthent N andar rSocietyative CaPaulatherin eMorelli E. Burn ette TuUniversitylane U niver sofity Hawai‘i at Mānoa Michael S. Spencer ShUniversityanondora B ioflli oWashingtont Wa shington University i n St. Louis As the editors we honor those who have contributed to this special issue, Indigenous CommunitiesKey Words and COVID-19: Impact and Implications. In this time of great uncertainty and unrest Indigenous r esearch • power • decolonizing research • critical theory we felt compelled to seek a call for papers that would examine aspects of our traditional cultures focusedAbstra specificallyct on COVID-19 and its disruptions to the dimensions of our wellbeing and the Research with indigenous communities is one of the few areas of research restoration of wellness. This virus has impacted every individual and family on this planet, and, has encompassing profound controversies, complexities, ethical responsibilities, and helpedhistor iccoalesceal contex tthe of pervasiveexploitat ion intersectional and harm. O fstrugglesten this c oofm pIndigenouslexity becom ePeopless . overwhTheelmi narticlesgly appa rselectedent to th eare ea rcompellingly career resea inrch theirer wh oability endeav toors castto m lightake over the shadows of discord meaningful contributions to decolonizing research. Decolonizing research has the andca pairaci tofy t oconspiracy be a cat alyst fsurroundingor the improve dthis wel lpandemic.being and po sTheyitive so acknowledgecial change amon thatg the grief and anguish buried beneathindigen otheus csoilomm ofun intergenerationalities and beyond. T e traumapurpose oaref th ionlys criti chalfal an ouralysi sstories is to rea ctold.h COVID-19 has given recall harmony across mainstream and indigenous research contexts. We martial critical to thexamineeory to de ctheonst rpervasiveuct barriers tinjusticeo decoloni ziofng rwesternesearch, s upchower as p owander i nprivilege.equities, Our people are dying at disproportionateand identify strat eratesgies to not ove ronlycome fromthese bthearri edirectrs. Firs trespiratory, we critically effectsanalyze tofhe this virus, but as a result of a historical context of decolonizing research with indigenous communities. Next, failedwe a nsystemalyze the thatconc epist oinherentlyf “insider” a nracist.d “outs idWeer” rseeesea rcourh. W people;e identif y ourbarr iemothers,rs fathers, grandmothers, grandfathersand strat egies, tchildren,oward f nd inandg h ayoungrmony a cpeopleross ind iginen ogreatus an dperil main sbecausetream rese aofrc hsystemic health inequities and paradigms and contexts. economic exclusion. Few aAtre athes e ncorecom pofas sthe th earticles profo upresentednd contr oisve rCompassionsy, complexi tiandes, Purpose.ethical What has been shared resrepresentsponsibilitie thes, a ncollectived historic avoicel cont eofxt resilience,as research resistance,with indige adaptnous civityomm, uandniti einventivenesss against forces (Burnette & Sanders, 2014; Burnette, Sanders, Butcher, & Salois, 2011; Deloria, 19of91 ;oppression Smith, 200. 7These; Smit haveh, 20 1been2). T mete d ewithpth oglobalf this resistancetension is oexpressedverwhelmi ning l“Blacky Lives Matter”, “The apMepare Tont tMovement”,o the early c“Standingareer resea rRock”,cher w h“Ihumatao”,o endeavors “Theto m aProtectorske meanin goffu lMaunakea”, “First Nations contributions through research with indigenous communities (Burnette & Sanders, 20Peoples14; Burn eWorldwide”tte, Sanders, Bandutc hmanyer, & Rotherand, Indigenous2014). As M idemonstrationshesuah (2006) a poftly collective notes, sovereignty. “So many iWhilendigen itou iss pimperativeeople and otou racknowledge allies are f nd fundamentaling their voic eshiftss, and in th socialey are relationships, policies, and expressing their thoughts. But speaking out can still be precarious, especially for thsocialose wh owork have practicen’t gradu atheseted o rarticles haven’t remindreceived us te nthature… we” (needp. 13 1to). sit for a while in the uncomfortable parts of our human psyche. If left unattended and unexamined they cause us sickness, pain, and spiritual Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike License MATAIRA, MORELLI & SPENCER: Indigenous Communities and COVID-19 2 unsettledness. When integrated into a deeper consciousness this volatility dissipates into a higher order of understanding our ancestors knew and continually practiced. We are reminded that to witness, means we must take heed, and listen. And while the world leaders and politicians pay attention to the urgency of what is happening in terms of the social, health, and economic costs of this pandemic, Indigenous people are harkening to the wisdom of their ancestors that if we, as a society, do not pay attention to our spiritual connections to the land we become disconnected; we become neglectful with little regard to the sacredness of breath and the sanctity of life. We become by default complicit in human suffering. It is all too convenient and comfortable to get swept in the catch-all “trauma-informed,” “person-in-environment,” “evidence- based”, “culturally responsive”, and decolonization rhetoric of mainstream social work, but the real question these articles address is what do they mean for Indigenous Peoples? We recognize knowledge shared in these articles is nuanced, without limit or boundary, sacred, and, entreat us as readers and editors to give full deference to, and recognition of stories as the greatest source of a person’s power. Echoed in the portent words of Kamehameha III’s restoration of the Kingdom of Hawai’i, “Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ‘Aina I ka Pono”, “The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness” are the tenets of truth, sacrifice, and love. That in spite of impending threat from hostile American business and colonial interest, Kamehameha himself, was attentive to, and strategic in his efforts to protect Hawaiian people and resources through the formalizing of a Hawaiian system of governance. These articles reflect similar protective instincts related to water rights, healthcare, food sovereignty, technology, social media, virus testing and contact tracing, community assets, cultural and linguistic responses, education, research, and practice. The articles ask: what is in front of us that nothing should be taken for granted? That until we understand the lifeforce of trauma we cannot heal. COVID-19 has heralded an unprecedented era of discontent and social dystopia where we are all staggering in the uncomfortableness of not knowing. For Indigenous People however, there is no going back to normal. Normal was never just nor was it ever fair. Pre-COVID-19 life edified individuality, globalism, resource depletion, social disconnection, rage, and hate. Trauma is not new to us. We are the manifestations of the stories we are born into and those we create. These articles move us from affliction to triumph; from limitation to strength, from scarcity to abundance, and tap into the inner puna - the natural water springs and aquifers - of culture to reshape and retell the records of our histories. The biggest take away we hope you gain from reading these articles is that we do not empower our communities, rather, as the authors share in their own ways, we simply offer the tools needed for Journal of Indigenous Social Development Volume 9, Issue 3 (2020) MATAIRA, MORELLI & SPENCER: Indigenous Communities and COVID-19 3 them to realize their own strengths, and inherent powers: their mana to restore integrity and take control of their destinies. Angeles Arrien (1993) reminds us that whenever there is sadness, despair, or illness we must ask: When did we stop singing? When did we stop dancing? When did we stop “being enchanted by stories?“ And “when did we stop being soothed by the sweet sound of silence”. To this we add the poignant question shared by Dr. Elizabeth “Eli” Sumida Huaman who writes the introductory article for this special issue: “When did the breath of life start to kill? Each contributor reminds us, that all of our dances, and all our stories matter, and they are pivotal to our authenticity and steadfastness as a People. How we leverage our cultural modalities to deal with the challenges ahead is the time when we begin to understand our wounds become the wisdom and the chronicles of our healing. It is befitting we end with the salient words of Dr. Concha Saucedo Martinez , founder of the San Francisco Instituto Familiar de la Raza, who said: As Indigenous People we share our intimate stories of colonization histories but as a general rule rarely do we ever focus on the scars, the sadness, the brokenness, and the wounds without speaking to our stories of resilience and hope, the lessons handed down to us from our ancestors, and, the need to forsake and forgive. To not do this is to condone genocide by- proxy. (personal communication, 2012) It would be remiss if we, as editors, did not acknowledge our Aloha to you all at this time and express our deepest condolences to you who have lost family, friends, and loved ones due to this pandemic. We hope these articles inspire and